Stargazing event set for Saturday at DuPuis Management Area

Thursday

The Hunter, of course, is the mythological character you see when you connect the stars in the winter constellation Orion.

The best dark place to see Orion and all the other winter constellations is through a telescope far away from city lights in the DuPuis Management Area.

Astronomy Night has become a popular annual event there at Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies, which hosts field trips and lectures at the 22,000-acre preserve. Stargazers are invited from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday night.

"Orion is real easy to view this time of year," center director Kim Kanter said, "and DuPuis is a great location to see the stars – not too far away to drive to be away from the city lights."

The entrance to the giant preserve, which straddles western Palm Beach and Martin counties, is off Kanner Highway two miles east of Port Mayaca.

The South Florida Water Management District owns and manages the land, which is part of the historic Everglades.

DuPuis is open to the public for camping, fishing, hiking, biking and horseback riding. It closes only when hunters are allowed in during deer and turkey season.

FAU’s Center for Environmental Studies operates the nature center, which conducts field programs for schoolchildren in addition to lectures and several special events such as a Halloween party during the year. All events are free to the public.

As many as 250 stargazers have attended Astronomy Night in the past on nights when skies were clear of clouds and temperatures were mild. The preserve is open 24 hours a day so many chose to camp out under the stars after touring the heavens.

"It’s one of our most popular nature events," Kanter said.

The guide for the galactic tour of the winter constellations Saturday night will be David Brown, president of the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society.

"We do a tour of the night sky to point out the major constellations that are of interest to people," Brown said.

"The main constellation Orion in one of the most famous. The Hunter is well placed in the night sky."

Orion the Hunter, which is prominent during the cold-weather months, contains two of the sky’s brightest stars as well as one of the most interesting nebulas.

Brown said the Great Orion Nebula will appear to be "just a fuzzy little smudge" when viewed with the naked eye during his lecture Saturday night.

But astrological society members bring powerful telescopes so the public can see the nebula much more closely when he finishes.

"It’s actually a star nursery where the stars are born," Brown said. "The telescope brings a whole new aspect to what we are seeing.

"Our club really enjoys teaching the basics of the night sky."

For information about Astronomy Night, call the Center for Environmental Studies at 800-432-2045, ext. 3339.

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